The Up & Comers, Vol. 1 - Curren$y

Curren$y is certainly no rookie to the mic, but he continues to reinvent himself with each passing release. With the first installment of what I hope to be a long lasting, ongoing post-subject, I think its fitting to bring up Curren$y because he is someone not many occasional listeners or even fans know but someone all rap lovers/aficionados praise. While Drake is definitely the best and most anticipated new-comer (and not to mention one of my favorite rappers in the game), I think Curren$y has the edge as this past month he signed onto Def Jam and is ready to drop his major label debut, Pilot Talk, in two weeks.

Curren$y is a personal favorite of mine and I definitely admire him for his perseverance and strength throughout his young career. He was first signed to Master P's No Limit Records back in 2000 when he was 18 but failed to release a record, or a single even, over the five years he was signed to the label. Next he caught the eye of Lil Wayne who praised his silky smooth flow and his NOIA droll. You may remember the Cash Money anthem and the often remixed single "Where da Cash At"; and while many remember Lil Wayne's guest spot and Remy Ma's equally forgettable contribution to the track, this hood dream anthem was dominated by Curren$y's crazy rhymes and quick delivery. If you haven't heard it, I would recommend it; but anyways, his Cash Money debut, Music to Fly to, was oft-delayed and was eventually shelved which led to Curren$y leaving the label.

Instead of giving up, he persevered and released mixtapes and indie albums on Amalgam Digital, including This Ain't No Mixtape and Jet Files which both faired well for indies and produced strong singles in "Power Button" and "The Pledge (In and Out)" which (along with his work with Wiz Khalifa) brought Curren$y back into the public eye. While on Amalgam, his style transitioned from the heavy synth, Mannie Fresh-style keyboard beats from both No Limit and Cash Money to a heavily instrument laden (using both light keyboards and even flutes) beat package that perfectly complimented his natural skill as a rapper and silky smooth flow. While his rhymes have recently been heavily geared towards his smoking skills much like and through his relationship with fellow newcomer heavyweight Wiz Khalifa, Curren$y began to once again gain the attention of major labels and signed to the newly resurrected Roc-a-fella Records and Def Jam two months ago. Finally Def Jam makes a sensible signing (maybe an attempt to offset and shade the stupidity of signing Shyne to a seven figure deal?). WIth that said, Curren$y has been back in the lab and has released the first single off of Pilot Talk, "King Kong" which is both lyrically diverse (uncharacteristic of $y of late), which is great to see, and well produced by Ski Beatz. The beat is crazy and Curren$y delivers a great performance with his traditional silky smooth flow but also adds gritty rhymes that scream out to the public ear "Im here, Im stayin, get at me." Plus, it has a dope ass video. I am real excited for Pilot Talk, just behind Thank Me Later for my most anticipated albums of this month, and I will definitely keep everyone posted on my review of the album.

Heres the link to the King Kong video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xaBBMNgGDw4